SINGLE SUBJECT CREDENTIAL PROGRAM

SCIENCE LESSON PLAN

TEMPLATE Revised 4.15
For directions on how to complete this form, see EDSC Lesson Plan Directions and Scoring Guide in the SSCP Handbook at
www.sscphandbook.org.

Name

CWID

Michelle Cortez

894061860

Class Title

Honors Biology

Subject Area

Lesson Title

Human Impacts on
the Environment

STANDARDS AND LESSON OBJECTIVES

Next Generation Science Standards

HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence

supporting claims that changes in
environmental conditions may result in: (1)
increases in the number of individuals of
some species, (2) the emergence of new
species over time, and (3) the extinction of
other species.

Biology
Unit Title

Evolution

Grade Levels

Total Minutes

4 Days
(~220
minutes)

10

Common Core State Standard Connections

CCSS ELA:
RST-11.12.8 Evaluate the hypotheses,
data, analysis, and conclusions in a science
or technical text, verifying the data when
possible and corroborating or challenging
conclusions with other sources of
information.
WHST.9-12.9 Draw evidence from
informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
CCSS Math:
MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Lesson Objective(s)

Evidence

1. Given a warm-up question, students

will identify at least 3 different
examples of human impacts on the
environment.
2. Working with 2-3 other classmates,
students will create a poster detailing
connections they found among
variables in their environment.
3. Using their textbook and resources
from the internet, students will look
for at least 3 pieces of credible
evidence that supports or rejects
their claim.
4. Students will form groups of 3-4
defending and critiquing their claims
using the evidence they found to
support or reject their explanation.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Purpose/Focus of
Type
Assessment

Implementation

1. A student helper will go around the

classroom stamping student work
provided they have identified 3
examples before the class discussion.
More examples can be added as the
class goes over the answers.
2. A group poster will be created. Only
text is necessary but pictures can be
drawn to help students better
visualize the connections.
3. Students will show the teacher they
used at least 3 credible, cited sources
that help support or reject their
claim.
4. Students will participate in a group
discussion, citing the evidence they
found that either supports or rejects
their claim.
Feedback Strategy

How Informs Teaching

EL

Forma
tive

Summ
ative

Warm-up Question

Poster board

BQCE form

This will be done

at the beginning of
class individually
on the warm-up
handout.

There will be a
class discussion
going over the
answer. Feedback
will be given
verbally.

This allows the

teachers to learn
about students
preconceptions
about how
environmental
conditions can
affect species. This
helps to know
where to begin
teaching.

This will be done

on the first day,
and will be done
with 2-3 other
students.

Feedback will be
given verbally. The
teacher will walk
around the
classroom while
students are
working, asking
clarification and
elaborating
questions about
the connections
students are
finding.

This lets the

teacher know if
students
understand the
material and are
able to make
connections
between
organisms they
see in their local
environment.

There will be a
rubric for this
form. The rubric
helps students
know what is
expected of them
and what they
need to include on
their BQCE form to
receive the
maximum points.

This lets the

teacher know if the
students
understood the
concept of how the
environment,
specifically
human-caused
environmental
changes, can
impact species. If
more than 5
students do not
understand, the
teacher will reteach and review.

This will be
completed
throughout the
lesson. The Big
Idea and
Questions will be
done as a group
and the Claim and
Evidence will be
completed
individually.

FOCUS OF INSTRUCTION
Instructional Strategies

BQCE handout, Audio-visuals (a variety of instructional materials are incorporated), Case

Study, Cause and Effect, Collaborative Learning, Cross-Checking (using multiple sources
of information), Guiding Questions, Field Observations (to provide contextualization and
to have students record notes and view organisms and objects), Posters (this helps
students organize what they have learned and helps them see the many connections
better)
Lesson Introduction/Anticipatory Set
Time
Teacher Does

Day
1

1. The teacher displays the agenda

on the overhead projector. The

Student Does

1. Students know the warm-up

routine and take out their

first item on the list is the warmup activity which students are
familiar with and know to take out
their handouts. The warm-up
question will lead to a discussion
about changes in environmental
conditions and how that affects
species.
(~10
minu
tes)

Warm-up Question: What are

examples of human impacts on the
environment and how does this affect
the species that live in those areas?
2. The teacher asks for volunteers
to share their answers. The
different ideas are written on the
white board so students can add
to their own handout.

Lesson Body
Time

Day
1
(~40
minu
tes)
Day
2
(~50
minu
tes)

Teacher Does

DAY 1 (lesson modified from

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resour
ce/echo07.sci.life.coast.lpenvironment/
exploring-environmental-change/ Exploring Environmental Change)
1. Teacher goes over the BQCE
procedural job aid with students,
detailing what each space is
designated for.
2. To make connections to the
students, the teacher will ask
students to think about the
environment where their school is
located. The teacher will take
students outside the classroom
and ask them to take notes of
what they see in their
surroundings using the Observing
Your Environment Worksheet.
(taken directly from website)
3. Once inside again, the teacher
will lead a class discussion to
guide students in looking for
connections between the items
they wrote down. A diagram will
be drawn to help students better
visualize this. There will be 1-2
examples presented to help lead
students to the next step where

handouts to answer the warm-up

question.
2. Students have 5 minutes to write
their answer on the handout and
then there will be 5 minutes of
class discussion as we talk about
the answer. Students are
expected to list examples like
deforestation, overfishing,
droughts, and floods. Students
can say the animals shelters are
being destroyed and food
supplies are being decimated.

Student Does

DAY 1
1. Students are given the job aid
specific to argumentation and go
over the handout as the teacher
details what each part means. If
students are confused or have
questions, they are expected to
ask for clarification.
2. Students will take mental notes
about the environment where
their school is located. Students
will then go outside and will take
the Observing Your Environment
Worksheet with them so they can
write notes and answer the
questions.
3. During the class discussion,
students could say they noticed a
squirrel and a tree. The teacher
can draw a line between the two
and ask students how the squirrel
relies on the tree. Students can
say the squirrel relies on the tree
for shelter and food.
4. Students will work in their groups
and look for at least 2 other
connections they found in their
environment, and must explain
them. Students can add drawings

they will do this in groups.

to their poster board if that helps
4. The teacher will assign 3-4
them.
students each to a group and will DAY 2
hand out a poster board with
5. Students review what they did
markers, asking students to make
the previous day and answer
other connections with other
questions as a class to see what
organisms they saw in their
they have learned so far.
environment.
6. Students display posters by their
DAY 2
lab station. They will rotate
5. The teacher recounts the
clockwise around the room
previous days activities, asking
staying with their poster groups
students questions to check their
from the previous day and will
understanding.
have 2 minutes at each station to
6. The teacher will ask students to
look at the connections their
display their posters by the
classmates found. Students will
station where they worked. The
be looking at their classmates
teacher tells students to rotate
posters and commenting to their
clockwise around the room
partners the connections their
staying with their posters groups,
classmates noted in the posters,
leading them in a Gallery Walk.
noting similar and different
7. After students have walked
examples.
around the classroom and looked
7. Students think about the
at their classmates posters, the
consequences of removing one of
teacher can now ask the class
the variables in the connection,
about what could happen if one of
which will help guide them to the
the two items in a connection was
Big Idea. (Big Idea: Changes in
removed from the environment,
the environment impact the
using guiding questions. (i.e.,
organisms that live in that area.).
Most of the trees were removed
Students use the Big Idea and
from the environment. How does
what they have learned about the
this affect the squirrels? What
consequences of removing one
happens to the rest of the
item from the environment. They
environment?) This leads to the
are using the concept of cause
Big Idea (Big Idea: Changes in the
and effect to formulate questions.
environment impact the
8. Students go over the Case Study.
organisms that live in that area.)
They will complete the PDF
The teacher will have them
document.
formulate questions from this
9. Students modify the questions
conversation. These questions
they have already formulated to
will help students formulate
fit the case study.
questions relevant to the case
10.
Students develop claims
study.
based on the questions they
8. The teacher will introduce a case
asked.
study: Changes in the Arctic
DAY 3
Environment. This looks at the
11.
Students will use their
impact of human activity
Chromebooks to search for
affecting the environment, in this
evidence that supports or rejects
case whaling in Alaska. There will
their claim. They will find at least
be a Flash Interactive, PDF
3 credible sources, one of them
document students will complete,
being their textbook. Students
and two videos students will
have the class period to work on

watch.
9. Since students have already
formulated questions from
looking at their own environment,
the teacher tells them they can
modify those slightly to fit the
case study.
10.
The teacher guides
students to developing a claim
based on the questions they
asked. Students will write their
claim on the BQCE. (Claim:
Changes in environmental
conditions may result in:
a) Increases in the number of
individuals of some species;
b) The emergence of new species
over time; and
c) The extinction of other species.)
DAY 3
11.
The teacher has students
conduct research using their
Chromebooks and textbook to
search for evidence to
supports/rejects their claim. The
teacher will be available to help
students determine if the
evidence they found was credible
and to determine if the evidence
found supports or rejects their
claim.
DAY 4
12.
The teacher has students
form groups of 3-4 to discuss
their evidence and to discuss if
the claim was supported or
rejected according to the
information they found.
Lesson Closure
Time

DAY
4
(~15
minu
tes)

Teacher Does

The teacher will facilitate a class

discussion for students to discuss their
evidence and if the claim was
supported or rejected according to the
information they found.

this. Students will fill out the

Evidence section of the BQCE.
DAY 4
12.
Students form groups of 3-4
to discuss the evidence they
found. They use specific citations
to say if their claim was
supported or rejected.

Student Does

Students are expected to participate in

a class discussion. Students will share if
their claim was supported or rejected
according to the evidence they found.

Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Multimedia

Overhead projector, poster board, markers, Observing Your Environment Worksheet,

BQCE form, Chromebooks, iPads
Co-Teaching Strategies

One-Teach, One-Assist

DIFFERENTIATION
English Learners

Annotating will allow

English Learners to
get a general
overview of what
the case study was
about.
Sentence Starters
will give English
Learners practice in
answering academic
questions. Sentence
Starters will be
provided for the
Observing Your
Environment
worksheet.

Striving Readers

Allowing Striving
Readers to annotate
the case study will
help them focus on
the key vocabulary
and what they
should take away
from the lesson.
Annotating will help
them form a
stronger connection
with the material.
Providing Striving
Readers with
sentence starters
will give them help
in how to answer
academic questions.
The repeated
exposure will help
them so they can
eventually write
sentences on their
own.

Students with Special

Needs

Students with
Special Needs will be
able to visualize
connections among
organisms in the
environment by
diagramming on
their worksheet and
poster. This helps
them solidify
abstract
connections.

Advanced Students

Advanced Students
will be challenged by
leading the group
work. They are likely
to understand the
content right away
so by allowing them
to lead the group
work with the
posters, they can
explain to members
of the group that are
struggling and will
also gain practice
speaking to their
classmates about
academic content.

Sentence Starters
will be provided for
Students with
Special Needs. This
will provide them
with a reference
point and will help
them organize their
thoughts and pose
the information in an
This activity has
academic context.
real-world
application.
Students with
Advanced Students
Special Needs will be
will be looking to
able to annotate the
apply what they
case study. This
learn to real life and
allows them to focus
they can take the
on key information
information they
and to connect prior
have found here
knowledge with the
about how humans
new information
impact the
they are learning.
environment and
With annotating,
apply it to their daily
students can add
lives to lessen
pictures and
individual impact.
summarize the text,
allowing students to
connect with the
material more
meaningfully.

REFLECTION: SUMMARY, RATIONALE, AND IMPLEMENTATION

Students are going to be engaging in an argumentation procedure to evaluate the claims

about how changes in the environment affect species in three ways. Students will first
examine their own local environment so that this assignment is contextualized to their
lives and they can relate to the assignment. After looking at the interactions in their local
environment, students will form groups to create a poster of possible interactions and

relationships that occur in the local environment. After creating the poster and
performing a Gallery Walk, students will think about the consequences of removing one
of the variables in the relationship, which will guide students to the Big Idea, which is
that changes in the physical environment have an impact the organisms that live in that
area. Students will then be introduced to a case study and will modify questions they
have already created from looking at their local environment to fit the case study. The
teacher will help guide students to a claim based on the questions asked. The claim will
say that changes in environmental conditions impact species in three ways. Students will
have an entire class period to research their claim and will write down in their procedure
form if their claim was supported or rejected based on the evidence they found. On the
last day, students will form groups to discuss the evidence they found if the claim was
supported or rejected.